Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27878523›Full record

ArticleThe journal of headache and pain2016

Intravenous ketamine for subacute treatment of refractory chronic migraine: a case series.

Clinton Lauritsen, Santiago Mazuera, Richard B Lipton, Sait Ashina

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The journal of headache and pain, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 29 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
29citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
4.9field-weighted citation impact, top 4% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

29 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 61 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. Hemiplegic migraine: genetics and pathophysiology.The Journal of clinical investigation · 2026
    Review
  4. Glutamate as a Therapeutic Substrate in Migraine.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025
    Review
  5. Review
  6. Review
  7. Article
  8. The NMDA receptor antagonists memantine and ketamine as anti-migraine agents.Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology · 2023
    Review
  9. Review
  10. Review
  11. Review
  12. A systematic review of the efficacy of ketamine for craniofacial pain.Canadian journal of pain = Revue canadienne de la douleur · 2023
    Review
  13. Review
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Article
  17. Article
  18. Review
  19. Review
  20. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Clinton LauritsenDepartment of Neurology, Thomas Jefferson University, Jefferson Headache Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA. Clinton.Lauritsen@jefferson.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3225-4446
Santiago MazueraDepartment of Neurology, Thomas Jefferson University, Jefferson Headache Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Richard B LiptonDepartment of Neurology, Montefiore Headache Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA.
Sait AshinaDepartment of Neurology, New York University School of Medicine, NYU Langone Medical Center, NYU Lutheran Headache Center, New York, NY, USA.
Thomas Jefferson University · USAlbert Einstein College of Medicine · USLutheran Medical Center · US

Funding

Vascular Structure and Function in Cognitive AgingP01AG003949 · NIA · YESHIVA UNIVERSITY · PI CAROL A. DERBY · 1985 to 2026
$73.9M
PREDICTORS OF COGNITIVE DECLINE IN NORMAL AGINGR01AG012101 · NIA · NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE · PI DE LEON, MONY J., RUSINEK, HENRY · 1993 to 2015
$6.7M
Biomarkers in Early Alzheimer's Disease (AD).R01AG022374 · NIA · NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE · PI DE LEON, MONY J., RUSINEK, HENRY · 2004 to 2015
$5.2M
TWO PRECLINICAL LATENT SCORES TO PREDICT OCCURRENCE OF DATR01AG034119 · NIA · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI XIONG, CHENGJIE · 2010 to 2014
$1.6M
Latent Mobility Abnormalities And FrailtyR01AG025119 · NIA · ALBERT EINSTEIN COL OF MED YESHIVA UNIV · PI VERGHESE, JOE · 2005 to 2009
$1.5M
Gender and Hormonal Differences in Parkinson's DiseaseK23NS047256 · NINDS · BETH ISRAEL MEDICAL CTR (NEW YORK) · PI SAUNDERS-PULLMAN, RACHEL · 2004 to 2008
$869k
Predictors of Gait and Falls in Aging: Linking Cognitive Control to GenesK23AG030857 · NIA · ALBERT EINSTEIN COLLEGE OF MEDICINE · PI HOLTZER, ROEE · 2007 to 2011
$841k
NIA NIH HHS K23 AG030857NIA NIH HHS P01 AG003949NIA NIH HHS R01 AG012101NIA NIH HHS R01 AG022374NIA NIH HHS R01 AG025119NIA NIH HHS R01 AG034119NINDS NIH HHS K23 NS047256
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundRefractory migraine is a challenging condition with great impact on health related quality of life. Intravenous (IV) ketamine has been previously used to treat various refractory pain conditions. We present a series of patients with refractory migraine treated with intravenous ketamine in the hospital setting.

methodsBased on retrospective chart review, we identified six patients with refractory migraine admitted from 2010 through 2014 for treatment with intravenous ketamine. Ketamine was administered using a standard protocol starting with a dose of 0.1 mg/kg/hr and increased by 0.1 mg/kg/hr every 3 to 4 h as tolerated until the target pain score of 3/10 was achieved and maintained for at least 8 h. Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) scores at time of hospital admission were obtained as well as average baseline VAS scores prior to ketamine infusion. A phone interview was conducted for follow-up of migraine response in the 3 to 6 months following ketamine infusion.

resultsThe study sample had a median age of 36.5 years (range 29-54) and 83% were women. Pre-treatment pain scores ranged from 9 to 10. All patients achieved a target pain level of 3 or less for 8 h; the average ketamine infusion rate at target was 0.34 mg/kg/hour (range 0.12-0.42 mg/kg/hr). One patient reported a transient out-of-body hallucination following an increase in the infusion rate, which resolved after decreasing the rate. There were no other significant side effects.

conclusionIV ketamine was safely administered in the hospital setting to patients with refractory chronic migraine. Treatment was associated with short term improvement in pain severity in 6 of 6 patients with refractory chronic migraine. Prospective placebo-controlled trials are needed to assess short term and long-term efficacy of IV ketamine in refractory chronic migraine.

Indexed as

AdultChronic DiseaseExcitatory Amino Acid AntagonistsFemaleHumansInfusions, IntravenousIntractable PainKetamineMaleMiddle AgedMigraine DisordersPain MeasurementQuality of LifeRetrospective StudiesTreatment OutcomeExcitatory Amino Acid AntagonistsKetamine

Identifiers

PMID27878523
PMCPMC5120050
OpenAlexW2556403732

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.